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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23092717">The Guard</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicUserElf/pseuds/MagicUserElf'>MagicUserElf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:22:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>530</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23092717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicUserElf/pseuds/MagicUserElf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an interaction between two normal stock character guards somewhere in the DnD universe. It is uneventful but I tried to make it as evocative and riveting as possible with just writing as an exercise.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Guard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For me, the night is a cobbled road and a gatehouse stationed in front of the fanciest noble manor in all of Karnaka. I am a guard of the Red Shields. A cat mew'rowls in some wretch alley. </p><p>"Shut it!" I bark, watching my white breath disappear into the night. It shuts it.</p><p>I don't know much but if I knew something, it would be that Lord Arman is rich. I'd say rich, rich as they come. Lord Arman is a fat noble that wears things with the purple-yellow cloth, jewels. See, he has this white cuff that fans out like a flower, except popping out the flower is a fat head with curly hair spilling over the top and flowing down like a firework. He looks bored and like he properly does own the place when he walks in with women, night women, mind you. They're all powder and young curve. We nod our respects and raise the portcullises, Jakvar and I. They walk like drunks down the path and vanish in the big place. We're drunk with tiredness, but paid well enough to serve even at this hour. Our torches are all the sunlight we see.</p><p>We lean on our spears on opposite sides of the gatehouse inner walls. These are our spots. I start to whistle a nothing song. Jakvar raises his finger and waves it up and down in time with my nothing melody.</p><p>"What you doin'? You drawing?" I said.</p><p>Jakvar has his eyes closed and head back, smiling like an idjit. Now he's stealing my tune and he hums it, the barking weasel. His skin is dark, but not like charcoal,  not like the Lortha of the south who have a history of merchants and sorcerers. Not like us earth skinned Karnakites. His skin is more of a honeyed type, which is rare, but fine. We've plenty of sailors down in the docks like that, and they work hard. But you know, they earned the honey on their skin from the sun. Makes me wonder where he got his, if you follow.</p><p>"Come on then you idjit. What are you drawing?" I said. </p><p>I don't really care what he's drawing. I'm just trying to distract myself from how nice it would feel to fall asleep propped up on my spear.</p><p>"I..."</p><p>He pauses, then looks at me like I should know something. His voice is almost music, like a minstrel. It's not scratchy or low enough for a good guard voice. I'm falling asleep.</p><p>"I can see music." He said smiling.</p><p>I laugh because laughing helps with being awake.</p><p>"You don't believe me?" He said.</p><p>I can't think of what kind of joke this is supposed to be and I start to notice it's not so funny. My head feels heavy.</p><p>"You don't beleive." He said. Lowers his head, shaking it."</p><p>I almost fall down and lose my grip on the spear. I fell asleep again. I look at Jakvar.</p><p>"Be honest. How long was I out for?" I said.</p><p>He looked at me.</p><p>"Just a little.." He said.</p><p>"Alright, great." I said.</p><p>I then realized I wish I had slept a bit more.</p>
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